Lost Sun
by InsanityInReverse
Summary: When war plagues the world of Nippon, Amaterasu can think of nothing to do except lock the sun away from the world. Can the gods around her manage to convince her to bring out the sun again? Three-shot. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**_O. I suppose I should explain the origin of this story for anyone who doesn't know Shinto mythology. So basically, Susanoo (Amaterasu's brother) came to the Celestial Plains under the guise of saying goodbye to her before he was sent to Yomi. Obviously, he didn't do what he said, and ended up destroying the majority of her home. She got angry with him and fled to a cave, locking herself in, ultimately bringing eternal darkness to the world._**

**_O. And now I'm going to explain what differences there are (at least the big ones): this is set in Nippon (obviously), there is not eternal darkness everywhere because of Chibiterasu occupying the Celestial Plains. So there's sunlight there. There's war, that being the thing that drove Amaterasu to bring eternal darkness onto Nippon. _**

**_O. Anyway, now that all those details are out of the way... This is my newest story: a two-shot. This is the first part - as if you couldn't guess that on your own - and the second part will be up later today. Or tomorrow. Whenever I have time.  
>One more thing: this is kind of an early birthday present for Pinkdesi101. Her actual birthday isn't for another week (I believe) so this isn't official. But it is dedicated to her.<br>_**

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><p>Never would I have believed that the peaceful land that I had traversed could fall into war. Everything there that was once beautiful was destroyed by fire. No longer was the land covered in lush fields and thick forests; the former healthy blue water surrounding Ryoshima Coast had been polluted, replaced by a sickening yellow-green color.<p>

"War..." I muttered as I looked over the earth, hands on my heart. "Fighting..." A frown formed on my face as I noticed a pillar of smoke rose from the land below, blotting out the sun. "I have to stop it."

_O.o.O_

"Issun..." I whispered to the Poncle as I approached him, attracting his attention. He turned to face me, the ever-present smirk on his face. Although his smirk fell and shifted into a concerned expression as he noticed the frown on my face. "Do you know where Waka and Chibiterasu are? I need to speak to you three."

He shook his head, indicating his answer. I crossed my arms as my frown deepened, closing my eyes. "You called?" a voice asked from behind. My lips twitched up slightly as I turned around, noticing Waka standing there, the little wings on his hat still moving. However; my expression was quickly brought down again as I noticed that Chibi was not with him.

"Waka, do you know where Chibi is?" I asked quietly, shifting my gaze around the area we were in.

He nodded silently and took a step towards me. "Does he need to be summoned here, ma chérie?" I stopped looking around and focused my golden eyes on him, letting them portray my answer. He nodded again and lifted his flute to his mouth, quickly blowing two short notes.

Silence was heard among us as we patiently waited, a smile pulling at my mouth as I heard his voice in the distance. "Mama!" he called, running towards me, arms reached out in front of him. I embraced him as he came closer, holding him tightly for a moment. I let out a deep breath as I pushed him away slightly, standing up straight.

"I should tell you why I wanted to speak to all of you," I started, turning away from the three.

"What is it, Mama?" Chibiterasu asked worriedly, taking a step towards me. I looked at him from over my shoulder, almost melting at the concerned expression on his face.

I turned my gaze ahead of me again, biting my lip. "As you may or may not know, war has plagued Nippon." I heard a small gasp from Chibi. "It's been going on for years, and it shows no sign of stopping. Therefore, in order to stop this merciless fighting, I've decided to lock the sun away."

"But how will locking the sun away do anything to stop the war?" Issun asked, his voice skeptical.

"Without the sun, crops cannot grow and demons will again come out from the shadows. If the people in Nippon expect to survive, they're going to have to rely on each other. When I see that people have learned to work together and no longer have the urge to fight each other constantly, then I'll bring back the sun."

It was Waka this time who spoke. "Do you really feel this is necessary, Amaterasu? Surely there has to be another way."

"I can find none," I answered quietly, turning around to face them. Issun jumped up onto my shoulder, surprising me slightly.

"You don't have to do this, Ammy," he whispered, ignoring the curious glance he was getting from Chibiterasu. "We can find another way. Don't go into hiding," I looked at him, giving him my own curious glance. "And yes, I know that story. Just don't go away. You have no idea what that will do to Chibi."

I nodded discreetly, closing my eyes in thought. "I'm sorry, Issun. I have to do this. It won't be for that long, I'm sure. But please," I murmured as an after-thought. "Watch over Chibiterasu." I carefully took him off my shoulder and placed him on the ground, looking at him solemnly.

I walked over to where Waka was standing, giving him a friendly hug. "I know you heard what we were talking about," I whispered to him, still hanging onto his neck. "I trust that you'll help as well." I lingered slightly longer than necessary, and then let go, making my way over to where Chibi was.

I crouched down and ruffled his hair with my hand, offering him a smile. "Be good while I'm gone, okay? Behave around Waka and Issun." He blinked at me, confusion swirling within his golden irises. I leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'll miss you."

"Hey!" Issun interrupted, jumping up and down. "Where's _my_ kiss?"

I rolled my eyes and stood up straight, starting to move away towards the direction of a nearby cave that I knew of. "Wait!" Chibi's voice stopped me. He grabbed my hand as he approached me and squeezed tightly, confusion still present in his eyes. "Where are you going, Mama?"

I bit my lip. How was I supposed to answer him? "I'm going to help Nippon..." I said slowly, my eyes shifting around. "And I might be gone for a long time."

He paused. "...Can I come with you?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry, Chibiterasu, but you're going to have to stay here." I noticed that the confusion in his eyes was now replaced by disappointment and sadness. I decided to embrace him, hoping that it would somehow make him feel better. "You'll have much more fun here with Issun and Waka. They'll take care of you."

"I don't want you to leave," he whispered, swallowing deeply. "I want you to stay and I want to play in the fields like we always do." I saw the beginnings of tears starting to form in his eyes, and looked away, not wanting to see him cry. "Can you stay?"

I let go of him and placed my hand on his head, gaze turned to the ground. "I want to stay, I really do. But I can't. In order for my goal to work, I can't exactly be out in the open."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing important. I'll see you when I get back." I removed my hand from his head and started to walk away, not being stopped the second time around. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him look to the ground, a single tear dropping out of his eye. I felt my motherly instincts kick in and attempted to ignore them, trying to focus on my main goal.

My ears perked up slightly as I heard Issun whisper something to Waka. "I miss her already..." his tone held no sarcasm, only longing.

_O.o.O_

"What would _they_ think of this...?" I murmured as I walked through the Celestial Plains, gaze turned to the ground. "Kushi, Mr. Orange, Oki... I'm glad they're not still alive to see this." I eventually found my way to the cave I was looking for, letting out a sigh as I walked inside it. I quickly took out my Celestial Brush and used Vine to pull a nearby boulder over the entrance.

I leaned my body against the cool rock wall, exhaling deeply; the words _'I miss her already'_ echoing throughout my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**_O. So! This is the second part... and it's quite different from the first. I tried for a darker theme in this chapter, just to experiment with it. I think it turned out pretty good, but I probably messed up the flow of the story pretty badly. But what do you think of this part? I mean the writing style and such. It took me a really long time to write this just because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, and it drove me crazy! _**

**_O. Oh yeah, this story is going to be turned into a three-shot. Why? Because the last part didn't fit with this part, so I just made it a completely new document. I put two locations from actual Japan in this part - both have numbers beside them - and they'll be explained at the bottom of the page. Just in case you were wondering what they were. _**

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><p>It saddened me to know that no one could have predicted the events that were happening at this moment. Himiko had died long ago, and no one could use her crystal ball the way she could. The link to the future was brought down by a simple death. I like to hope that if this future <em>had<em> been told, there would have been some kind of change. Something to change what had yet to come. But death is a cruel thing; it breaks apart families and can devastate nations. The latter – unfortunately – happened when Himiko had died, leaving Sei'an City in a panic.

I felt extremely grateful that both Issun and Waka's species have longer-than-usual lifespans. I knew life on the Celestial Plains just wouldn't be the same without them...

_Them..._ My mind wandered through distant memories, stopping once they reached the events of the second coming of Orochi. "Susano would not stand for this..." I muttered quietly, a small smile coming onto my face at the memory of the man and his foolish antics. "Neither would Mr. Orange..." The smile slipped away from my face, leaving a frown in its place. A tear slipped from my eye as I remembered all the people I had helped on my journey, all my friends. The small drop of water hit the cold ground silently. _I'm glad... _I thought sadly, placing my head in my hands, _that they aren't alive to see this. _

A land stained with blood and fire filled my memories then, reminding me of the reason I was doing this. A toneless chuckle escaped me as I thought of Ise _**(1)**_, the one place in Nippon that hadn't been defiled by the merciless, violent war that had plagued the nation. It was a place in Nippon where people could feel moderately safe. Then again, with the more recent happenings, I don't even think I could say that with confidence.

_O.o.O_

With the sudden disappearance of the sun, the demons had taken over the land. There were only a few safe havens that people could go to, but the journey there was audacious and most didn't make it. And even then, evil always took over eventually. You could never stay in one place for long; that was just the way it was.

_'Please Great Goddess Amaterasu!' _I heard someone begin their prayer, the pitch of their voice identifying them as a young girl. Her voice echoed inside my head as she continued. _'Please bring back the sun to our world! It's harder to live here now...' _Her desperate pleas slammed against my heart, making me squeeze my eyes shut. _'Ple–'_ she was abruptly cut off, silence filling the space that her voice had occupied. I bit my lip lightly. I knew what had happened. Demons.

Although I felt horrible for letting the people of Nippon die by the hands of the demons, it was out of my power to do anything about it. I couldn't do anything, at least not anything that wouldn't bring the sun back. I knew that if I left the cave, the overwhelming guilt would make me bring back sunlight.

_Such a young girl..._ _she didn't deserve that... Nobody does..._

_O.o.O_

"Who's going to try to convince her?" I heard a voice whisper, attracting my attention. My head turned towards the boulder blocking the entrance, shuffling closer to it.

"I don't know..." another voice whispered, an underlying tone of uncertainty within the voice. "Should we even try? She'll come out when she feels the time is right."

"But what if that's never!" the first voice snapped. "The war has certainly decreased due to the lack of sunlight, but it hasn't stopped completely. I don't think she'll be happy until it's completely stopped." I blinked and let a smile come onto my face. The news lifted my spirits.

"I'll try," a new voice chipped in, stepping towards the cave. I heard silence from the other voices, signaling their approval. "Amaterasu..." it started, getting louder. I strained my ears to try to recognize the voices, the boulder beside me unfortunately muffling them. "Please come out of hiding..." My head snapped up as I finally recognized the voice of Nuregami, her usually feminine and gentle tone filled with worry. She placed her hands up against the boulder blocking Iwayado **_(2)_**, as if trying to reach me. "The people of Nippon have learned their lesson. There's no need to keep the sun away from them any longer!"

"I'm sorry..." I muttered, unsure if she could hear me or not. "It's just not the right time. If I come out now... they'll..." My voice trailed off, fading into nothingness.

"...They'll just go back to their old ways? Is that what you think?" Tachigami finished for me, his squeaky voice quite loud compared to the quiet tone of Nuregami. "They won't do that, Amaterasu. They know better than that. I'm sure they've figured out the cause of the sun's disappearance by now." I heard mixed voices of agreement.

"No." I said firmly, stopping their chattering for a moment. "I'll come out when I feel it's necessary. Don't try to change with my mind." And with that message, I stood up slowly and moved away from the boulder, going to lean up against a wall not far away.

Silence was heard for a few moments before more questions came through the huge rock, reaching my ears as a straight buzz. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, sliding down the wall slowly.

_O.o.O_

Weeks turned into months as I sat inside that cave, waiting. Waiting for the day when I would see the fighting stop; for the day when violence left the usually peaceful land of Nippon.

"Oh, come on!" I heard Issun yell, his tone one of irritation. "It's been weeks! Why can't you come out already? I'm sure the people in Nippon have learned their lesson by now!" _That's what Tachigami said... _I let out a deep breath, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. "I heard that!" he exclaimed.

_How...?_ I thought silently, shaking my head before turning my gaze to the ground. A drop of water fell from the stalagmites above, the tiny sound it made echoing throughout the quiet cave. I stayed silent, accessing the rock walls around me. "Are you going to come out any time soon?" Issun murmured – though it was loud enough for me to hear – surprising me slightly. "Waka and Chibi miss you..." he trailed off, adding a few last words as an after-thought. "I do too..."

I shut my eyes and tried to ignore him, knowing that he was beginning to get to me. I eventually managed to block out his voice, leaning my head up against the cold wall. _Stop trying to make me feel guilty... _I thought, as if I thought he could hear me. He didn't say anything for a long time, choosing to stay silent. I let out a deep breath as I finally broke the silence, my voice quiet. "I'm sorry..." I murmured, squeezing my shoulders closer to my body. "But it's just not time yet..."

He didn't give me an answer, silence filling the air.

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><p><strong><em>(1) Ise Grand Shrine: the most sacred Shintō Shrine in Japan, and is thus a very popular destination for tourists. It is sometimes called "The Shrine of the shrines" to indicate its status as the most sacred Shintō shrine. Legend has it that Yata no Kagami (The Sacred Mirror), one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, is housed somewhere within the grounds. (The mirror is actually one of Amaterasu's possessions.) <em>**

**_(2) Iwayado: the cave that Amaterasu hid inside in the original legend.  
><em>**


	3. Chapter 3

**_O. So! This concludes my first three-shot! I'm so proud of myself... Anyway, enough on that. I didn't mention anything about the legend in this part, as I couldn't find anything that could fit in there and make sense at the same time. As for the amount of time Amaterasu was in Iwayado... I'm going to say... seven months. (And yes, I just picked that number randomly.) _**

**_O. This part is when the story regains its original "style" from the first part. As I said in the author's note in the second part, I had wanted to try something new when writing that chapter, so I did. Anywho... I hope you like this part, as I worked rather hard on it._**

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><p>"Is it enough?" Waka asked from the opposite side of the boulder, his voice holding a tone of hopefulness. I walked towards my side of the boulder, placing my hands up against it. "There are a few people who refuse to stop their stupidity, but most have stopped completely. Well, the survivors have stopped, at least." I let a small smile come onto my face, removing my hands from the rock.<p>

I stepped back, clearing my throat. "How many survivors are there?"

He thought for a moment. "Approximately the amount of people that used to live in Sei'an City." I cocked my head, slightly surprised. Were there really that many survivors? "So," he continued, "is it enough now? For you to come out?" I thought for a moment. _Was _it really enough? I came to my conclusion as I nodded to myself and quietly took out my Celestial Brush, quickly making a cherry bomb at the entrance. A sickening crash was heard as the rock blew up, shattering its remains among the ground in front of me.

Bring sunlight temporarily blinded me as I stepped out of the cave, greeting me with harsh heat. I walked towards Waka, who had jumped back to avoid getting hit by the blast. His arm lowered from his face and he blinked as he spied me, a smile coming onto his face. "Ah," he said, "welcome back, ma chérie. It is a joyous occasion to have to walking the land again." I offered him a smile, pulling him into a hug. He placed his arms around me, pulling me closer. "I missed you," he muttered quietly.

"And I missed you," I replied, pulling away and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "It's nice to see you in person again." He nodded at me, the smile never leaving his face.

"How have you been?" I asked as we started to walk away, attempting to make small-talk. His gaze turned towards me, chuckling lightly.

"Fine. I've been fine. Although I can't really say the same for Chibiterasu and Issun. They took it really hard when you left, you know. Especially Chibiterasu." I let out a sigh, fiddling with my hands. "He'll be happy to see you again." Noticing my despondence, he touched my shoulder briefly; a sign of reassurance.

"Yes," I agreed quietly, nodding my head. "I want to see him as well. Are we near his location?" I raised my eyebrow as Waka raised his arm, pointing towards a tree in the distance. "He's there?" I asked, waiting for his confirmation. The man didn't say anything, keeping his arm in the same position. "Thank you." I murmured as I started to make my way in that direction, the tall grass brushing up against my kimono.

As I finally reached the tree, I noticed the a figure leaning up against the bark, with arms behind his head, and eyes closed. A smile came onto my face as I bent onto my knees before raising my hand up and touching his arm. He stirred, but didn't awaken. I giggled, touching his arm again, hoping that he would perhaps wake up this time. His eyes squeezed shut, a light groan escaping him. "Chibi..." I whispered, knowing that my voice snap him out of his rest.

As I predicted, his eyes opened slowly, blinking several times. His arms came back to his sides and he cocked his head, still blinking. "I missed you..." I whispered to him, grasping one of his hands. "I'm sorry for being gone so long..." He blinked one last time, finally fully awake. His eyes widened as he truly noticed me, leaping forward, grabbing onto my neck.

"Mama!" he exclaimed, knocking both of us over. "You're back!" I patted his back awkwardly, attempting to sit up. "I missed you so much!" he continued, not letting go of my neck. Finally managing to get into a half-sitting position, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer to me.

"I'm sorry," I said, talking to all three of the people around me. Issun hopped over to me and onto my shoulder, poking me with his sword.

"You better be sorry!" he yelled into my ear, putting away his sword. "You have no idea how it's been here without you around!" I turned my head towards him and offered a smile, blinking innocently. "Don't give me that look..." he murmured, taking a step back. I winked at him, letting a grin come onto my face as he stepped off my shoulder, landing in the grass with a soft thump.

A small chuckle was heard from Waka, to which Chibi joined in, finally letting go of my neck. The aura surrounding Issun turned red as he got back up onto his feet. "Hey!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down in defense. "Cut it out, Shortie!" My grin grew wider. When had the name Shortie come about for Chibiterasu, I wondered?

"Oh, please," Waka cut in, stepping closer to us. "You have no grounds to be calling him that, little bug."

"_I'm not a bug!" _Issun yelled defiantly, hopping back onto my shoulder. "You're not even human!" he accused, pointing at the man.

"Neither are you," Waka answered calmly, earning a loud growl from Issun.

I let out another giggle, planting a kiss on the top of Chibi's head. "Aw, Ammy!" the Poncle yelled as he noticed my giggles. "Are you on _his_ side? I thought we were friends! You're always supposed to side with your friends!" I didn't bother answering him, knowing that no matter what I said, it most likely wouldn't please him.

"Now, my little bouncing fr–" he was cut off by another one of Issun's yells.

"Shut up, you half-baked prophet!"


End file.
